Wireless communication systems typically offer limited communication bandwidths and/or data rates. One method of enhancing data communication is to limit total data transfers to and from a user by providing customized data to the user. As a result, system data capacity is available for transfer of selected data, and is not wasted on data inappropriate for, or or unwanted by, a particular user.
Data customization in wireless communication can be based on a communication device serial number. For example, a cell phone used by a network subscriber to access a wireless network includes a device serial number. While the network can be configured to provide data to this cell phone based on the serial number, such data customization is inadequate for another user of the same cell phone. In addition, a user of multiple shared cell phones can receive data content configured differently based on different cell phones, and not based on user identification. Not only is unwanted data communicated to the user, wasting network capacity so that the network appears slow, inappropriate personal data or user content preferences selected based on a device serial number can be provided to another user. Such inappropriate data can include personal data or other information that the user wishes to remain private. Due the ease of exchange of cell phones in networks based on standards such as the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), association of individual users based on cell phone serial number is inadequate for data customization.
In one example of a serial number based interaction, a keyword that requests return of a device serial number is provided in a Web page. If the user responds in a manner that invokes the keyword, a device serial number is appended to a device model number and the combined number is transmitted. Because of the likelihood that a selected cell phone is used by more than a single user, content providers typically restrict the extent of content personalization available based upon device serial numbers.
In view of the shortcomings of content personalization based on device serial numbers, methods, systems, and apparatus are needed for anonymous content personalization.
Communication devices include a register configured to store a user identifier and a transmitter configured to transmit the user identifier to a network. According to representative embodiments, communication devices also include a register configured to store a device identifier, and the transmitter is configured to transmit the device identifier to the network. In additional examples, the communication devices include a processor, and a user input interface is configured to supply commands to the processor. The user identifier is an anonymous identifier that does not enable discovery of sensitive personal information such as a telephone number and can be based on a serial number defined in a subscriber identity module (SIM). In some embodiments, the processor is configured to encrypt at least one of the device identifier and the user identifier before transmission to the communication network. In other embodiments, the user identifier is hashed prior to transmission or prior to delivery to a content provider.
Cell phones include a display configured to display data and commands and a keypad or other user input interface for data entry and command entry. A subscriber identity module (SIM) includes a user identifier and a transmitter is configured to transmit the user identifier. In additional examples, the cell phone includes a memory location configured to store a device identifier, and the transmitter is configured to transmit the device identifier. In a representative example, the user identifier is associated with a SIM serial number.
Subscriber identity modules for a wireless network include a memory configured to retain a SIM identifier and a processor configured to supply the SIM identifier to a communication device. According to representative examples, the processor is configured to provide a hash of the SIM identifier to the communication device.
Content providers include a personalization interface configured to receive personalization data and a processor configured to provide content to a user based on personalization data. According to some examples, content providers include a database configured to store personalization data. In further examples, the personalization interface is configured to receive personalization data associated with a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) header. In additional representative examples, the personalization interface is configured to receive personalization data that includes a device identifier and the processor provides device-specific content based on the device identifier. In still other examples, the personalization interface is configured to receive personalization data from a mobile station and receive a user identifier that is stored on a subscriber identification module (SIM). In some examples, the user identifier is a SIM serial number.
Methods of providing personalized content in a wireless communication network include selecting an anonymous user identifier and selecting content based on the user identifier. According to a representative example, the user identifier is selected based on a subscriber identity module. In other examples, methods include selecting a device identifier. In further embodiments, the device identifier and the user identifier are compared with a set of user profiles and content is selected based on a selected user profile.
Methods of obtaining anonymous personalized content include selecting an anonymous user identifier and identifying content for delivery based on the anonymous user identifier. In some examples, the anonymous user identifier is based on a serial number of a subscriber identification module.
These and other features of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.